Recipes: Dishes fit for a saint

Get your Irish on with fish cakes, corned beef and cheese dip

Corned beef and cabbage is a typical Irish recipe.

Photograph by: Handout/Vito Amati
, Postmedia News

You can bet corned beef and cabbage will be a favourite at the dinner table Saturday as the Irish, expats and Irish wannabes the world over celebrate Paddy, fondly remembered patron saint of malted barley.

In Ottawa, the nice folks at D'Arcy McGee's pubs have three interesting takes on perennial favourites featuring haddock and shrimp cakes, a ridiculously rich and seductive cheese dip that cries for a pint to wash it down and, of course, the ubiquitous corned beef and cabbage dating back to 17th-century Ireland.

The word corns, which means grains, hearkens to Anglo-Saxon times and undoubtedly refers to the coarse salt used in pickling meat. In the age before refrigeration, beef was dry-cured to extend shelf life in a process that involved rubbing "corns" of salt into the meat to help preserve it — much as fish was commonly salted, then dried, to make it last, well, practically forever.

Today, corned beef is typically cured or brined in a solution of water, salt, sugar and a mix of pickling spices that usually include nitrates as a preservative.

You can quickly tell when meats have been processed with nitrates because the curing process leaves the meat a bright reddish colour, even when cooked.

Think ham, bacon and salami.

Of course, the easy way is to buy ready-cured corned brisket in a grocery store, which you simmer with enough water to cover. Cover and cook slowly in the oven, as the recipe here directs.

These dishes were developed by executive chef Niels Kjeldsen, who says that, while corned beef and cabbage is a perennial favourite, the Irish these days look to the sea for many dietary staples.

"The thing to remember about Ireland is that it's an island, which means there is an abundance of seafood," he says.

"The Irish may not be known here for seafood, but it's plentiful and popular there today."

Fry yourself a fish cake (or braise a hunk of cured bovine), pour yourself a pint and think of the Emerald Isle.

Shape into eight small patties. Coat with remaining panko breadcrumbs. Heat pan with a little oil and sear cakes on each side for 2 minutes, being careful not to break apart.

4. For the salad, in a mixing bowl toss together baby greens, grape tomatoes, diced cucumber with cider dressing; set aside.

5. To plate, divide beets among 4 large square or round plates, followed by salad. Top with fish cakes. 6. Combine Rebel Rock Sauce ingredients and serve in a ramekin along with cakes.

7. Garnish plate with fresh dill and a lemon wedge.

Cashel and Kilkenny cheese dip

Makes: 4 servings

For the dip:

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

2 cups (500 mL) 2-per-cent milk

3/4 cup (175 mL) Cashel (or other mild) blue cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup (175 mL) aged white cheddar, grated

3/4 cup (175 mL) cooked mashed potato

1 cup (250ml) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups (310 ml) Kilkenny beer (or other cream ale)

1/2 tablespoons (7 ml) Dijon mustard

1/3 cup (75 mL) panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce

Dash, Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt and pepper

For the bread:

48 baguette slices, about 1/4-inch (3-mm) thick, cut into rounds

1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil

To finish the dip:

1/2 cup (125 mL) cooked bacon, chopped

1/4 cup (50 mL) sweet red peppers, diced

1/4 cup (50 mL) Cashel (or other mild) blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup (50 mL) green onions, chopped

1. To make the dip, place butter in saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add flour and mix well. Cook 2 minutes, then add all the milk at once and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously 5 minutes as it thickens.

3. For the bread, toss baguette coins with olive oil and place on hot grill 15 seconds per side. Or, bake in a 350 °F (180 °C) oven about 8 minutes, or until toasted, flipping once to toast underside. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove and cool.

4. To finish, top bowls of dip with bacon, red peppers and Cashel cheese. Place under broiler just until melted. Garnish with green onions.

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